The present invention relates to communication systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to overcoming a failure of a first node to contact a second node by using a third, intervening node to attempt to contact the second node; and additional techniques to verify, measure and deter such unresponsiveness.
Electronic commerce is quickly becoming an integral part of the marketing and sales strategies for many companies. The development of the World Wide Web has contributed significantly to the development of modern electronic commerce since it is essentially a free communication medium over which multiple nodes can communicate, and exchange information, currency, orders, etc.
Predictably, responsiveness of nodes in such a system is of great concern to the users thereof. It is well known that software and/or hardware problems at a particular node can cause a decrease in its responsiveness or render the node completely unresponsive. Low response times can also be caused by intentional, potentially malicious blocking of requests entering a node from selected other nodes. Depending on the type of transaction involved, the unresponsiveness of one node may result in an unjust detriment to another node. For example, the failure of a customer node to establish timely contact with an unresponsive reservation system may cause the customer to miss a cancellation deadline and incur an unjust fee. All of these problems impede the overall responsiveness and effectiveness of, e.g., electronic commerce systems.
What is required therefore, are techniques for providing responses when none would otherwise exist, and verifying, measuring, and deterring unresponsiveness of communicating nodes in systems.
These problems are overcome and other advantages are provided by the present invention which in one aspect relates to a method for handling a failure of a first node to contact a second node in a communication system. A third node is used to contact the second node on behalf of the first node.
The attempt by the third node to establish this contact may advantageously be used as a verification that the first node attempted the prior contact by, e.g., recording a time at which the third node attempted contact, thereby verifying that the first node attempted contact at an earlier time.
If the third node fails to contact the second node, a fourth node or additional nodes can be used to attempt to contact the second node, or the third node may make repeated attempts to contact the second node on behalf of the first node.
The nodes normally are expected to communicate using an automated communication medium, however, the third party node may attempt to contact the second node using other forms of communication.
The present invention also relates to, in another aspect, measuring and deterring unresponsiveness, by assessing penalties to nodes based on their failure to respond to other nodes attempting to contact them. The penalty can be determined as a function of a number of times a node failed to respond and/or an amount of time other nodes were delayed as a result of a failure to respond.
The present invention relates to, in yet another aspect, the second node contacting a third node while it is failing to respond to the first node, to attempt to elicit a response therefrom. In view of this attempt by the second node itself to contact other nodes, a responsiveness penalty which would otherwise be assessed on the second node is decreased or eliminated.
By providing trusted xe2x80x9c3rd partyxe2x80x9d nodes to contact responding nodes on behalf of contacting nodes, the present invention provides responsiveness from the responding nodes which would not otherwise exist, and can be used as a way of verifying the initial unresponsiveness of nodes to the contacting nodes. Further, the present invention provides response measurement techniques, as well as techniques (e.g., penalties) for deterring unresponsiveness. These techniques will improve the overall responsiveness and effectiveness of the communication system, and will also prevent unjust penalties from being assessed against nodes whose initial attempts at contact failed because of unresponsiveness, or against nodes that are attempting to respond or rectify their own unresponsiveness.